CFP Board hires Arnold Worldwide for campaign

WASHINGTON: The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has officially approved its first consumer awareness campaign. Arnold Worldwide will serve as AOR for the multi-year initiative, which is expected to launch in April.

The campaign, plans for which were first announced in July, aims to boost consumer trust in the financial planning industry by raising awareness around the certification process for certified financial planners. Dan Drummond, director of PR for the organization, told PRWeek “as we get more people aware of the certification, we hope there will be more interest in financial planning as a whole.”

The cost of the campaign is $9 million annually, and will be funded through CFP Board's reserves as well as an increase in certification fees.

Arnold was hired following a competitive review, in which the CFP Board shortlisted four agencies from an initial list of 10. “We considered agencies within a geographical radius of Washington, DC,” said Tom Crowder, MD of business development and marketing for the board. “We asked the agencies' for their thoughts on our situation and how they'd approach it. Arnold was the hands-down favorite based on their strategic and creative abilities, chemistry, focus on measurement and metrics, as well as their experience.”

The campaign will likely include online, print, and television. CFP professionals will also be provided with a tool kit, which they can use to increase consumer awareness of the value of CFP certification in their local markets.

The board officially approved the new campaign at its fall meeting November 10-12.